Apples - do you grow or eat them?

[Paul mabbott]

We had a nice thread on apple-growing but I can't find it.
Today is National Apple Day so I thought it worth mentioning the best of British fruit!

We have three cordons which have given a good crop but nothing like as good as last year. Fortunately very little damage to them from the wildlife (as opposed to previous years when the tree rat has ruined the crop). Had quite a few apples with small peckings - I've only seen blue tits doing this. No great problem for us: take the pecked apples and eat or cook them day by day!

Today, paradoxically, haven't cooked any apples: have used them in stews, curries, stir-fries whatever. Any good tips?

[Kayleigh]

I have 2 apple trees one is an English desert eating apple as \i got it from a garden centre the other is a dwarf not sure of the variety..
I juice them usually 2 apples with 3 carrots and an inch of ginger..

[Hedera]

I have seven apple trees. They started off as cordons in the '70s but have got a bit out of hand! My favourite is Ellison's Orange, a lovely juicy stripey one, and I have Red Ellison, Worcester Pearmain, Lord Lambourne, James Grieve , Cox's and Spartan. All dessert apples, but I do cook the pipped ones and fallers. This year has been a good one, especially the Spartans which are huge.

[Dorts]

Originally Posted by Hedera

I have seven apple trees. They started off as cordons in the '70s but have got a bit out of hand! My favourite is Ellison's Orange, a lovely juicy stripey one, and I have Red Ellison, Worcester Pearmain, Lord Lambourne, James Grieve , Cox's and Spartan. All dessert apples, but I do cook the pipped ones and fallers. This year has been a good one, especially the Spartans which are huge.

Great selection Hedera, anyone wanting some good old English varieties could do no better than choose your list, which I have to say includes a couple of my all-time favourites.
What annoys me is the Cox you now find on the supermarket shelf. It is not the true Cox but a modern hybrid called Queen Cox, larger fruit, greater yield and far less flavour, unfortunately like most of the apples now on general sale.
Dorts.

[Susie]

Every house I go to I plant apple trees and when they start to get to a decent size we move! Fresh eating apples straight from the tree have a quality you just don't get from supermarket apples. A fresh spartan, red on the outside and bone-white and crisp on the inside, is a revelation.

The first tree I planted was the best eating apple I ever had but I can't remember the name to plant another, it had either sunset or sunrise in the title.

In this garden I have a cox's and a bramley but both trees have struggled (they are not in an ideal spot) but hopefully should start producing a decent crop soon.

[artdemole]

3 Apple trees in large pots on patio. 1st year has brought a crop on two trees which had large apples. One tree has 2 variety's on.Looking forward to next years harvest already.

[Gill Catton]

My mum and dad planted a small orchard when they built their house 36 years ago. There are a number of apples trees including discovery (the first to be ripe and lovely bright red skin that often leads to pink flesh) a brambley and four other trees whos names I have forgotten - one has small delicious eating apples and another HUGE apples that you can use for pretty much anything. There are also three pear trees with very mixed cropping success, a victoria plum a greegage and a standard purple plum finish it off.

All I know is they have had essentiallly free puddings (and plum jam) for 30+ years which can't be bad! I don't think they do much more exciting with them though one year I intend to attempt cider! (though how good this would be in the absence of 'proper' cider apples I'm not sure!).

[jaguarondi]

I used to have seven apple trees and two pear trees (in its previous life my garden was part of an orcahrd), now just one of each.

The apple tree is a delight. It's a big Bramley and the main branches have been trained horizontally, so it's well spread-out - the focal point of my garden. It's main use is the shade it provides during the summer, not the apples. However, I do stew a few apples and use them to make apple crumble (with ASDA or Tesco crumble mix - sorry).

As Hedera says, this year has been good, despite heavy pruning during the summer. The downside is, the apples attract rats, and always a high precentage attacked by codling moth.

Can't say much in favour of the pear tree - it's small and so provides no shade, and we don't eat the pears.

[nightshade]

I like apple trees, many were developed from good trees in and around small villages and hamlets, which gave rise to many very local varieties that in turn were crossed with apples from other villages varieties and this gave us a plethora of beautifully flavoured fruit.
Watch out around hedgerows, especially when near housing estates, as many were built in old orchards and individual trees sometimes survive often old varieties of cider apples or eating apples. These trees can attract some interesting wildlife when they blossom or their fruit is ripe. They could also provide the basis for an interesting photo record.
I have a Worcester Pearmain and the (odd) James Grieve along with a decorative
crab apple.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by nightshade

I like apple trees, many were developed from good trees in and around small villages and hamlets, which gave rise to many very local varieties that in turn were crossed with apples from other villages varieties and this gave us a plethora of beautifully flavoured fruit.
Watch out around hedgerows, especially when near housing estates, as many were built in old orchards and individual trees sometimes survive often old varieties of cider apples or eating apples. These trees can attract some interesting wildlife when they blossom or their fruit is ripe. They could also provide the basis for an interesting photo record.
I have a Worcester Pearmain and the (odd) James Grieve along with a decorative
crab apple.

Yes old orchards can be really valuable for wildlife and can support some very rare insects too